养
yǎng · HSK 2
keep
🐑🌱 养 = 羊 (sheep) on top + 食 (food) base — to feed sheep, hence to raise/nourish
Originally depicts feeding sheep; the modern form keeps 羊 over a simplified 食/夂 element. The core sense is sustaining life: raising animals, rearing children, cultivating habits, or keeping something in good repair.
养 — sheep 羊 (top) + 八 over 艮-like base; simplified from 養 (食 + 羊)
The traditional form 養 combined 食 'food' with 羊 'sheep' as the phonetic, depicting the act of feeding sheep and, by extension, raising or nourishing living things. The simplified form 养 keeps 羊 on top but drops the 食 component. From 'feed' the meaning broadened to rear, support, and cultivate.